Philadelphia drafted van Riemsdyk second overall in 2007 and shipped him to Toronto in 2012, where he’s spent the last six seasons as a mainstay in both the Maple Leafs’ top-six and first power-play unit.

Mrazek will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. He’s gone 8-7-3 this season with a 2.89 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. He’s played his best hockey of late, though, posting a .935 save percentage in his last 10 games.

Mrazek just turned 26 and has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career, so it’s possible he could be more than just a temporary fix for the Flyers.

The Flyers are holding onto third place in the Metropolitan Division with 70 points. They’re not in the clear yet, though, as the Devils (70 points), Islanders(64), Hurricanes (64), and Blue Jackets (63), are all battling for what appears to be three Eastern Conference postseason spots.

The invitation to meet face-to-face generally means the player is in for a suspension of at least five games, and in the end, the NHL deemed it prudent to ban Gudas for 10.

“I was surprised, I did not expect that,” Gudas said Monday via Flyers TV. “I don’t agree with it, but I accept their decision. There’s not much else I can say.”

The NHL’s decision was based on Gudas’ forceful chop delivered to a player in a vulnerable position, and while he did admit to being reckless with his stick, he added he’s never used it like that before.

The news doesn’t come as too much of a surprise given Patrick entered this year’s draft as the No. 1 rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old had a fairly underwhelming preseason offensively, wherein he tallied just three assists in six games, with his biggest highlight coming when he dropped the gloves with Boston Bruins forward David Krejci.

Patrick is primed to be an important cog for the Flyers moving forward and is expected to slot down the middle on Philly’s second or third line.

With the preseason now in the rear-view mirror, Patrick and his teammates will head to San Jose where they will open the regular season against the Sharks – and for Patrick – his first career regular season contest.